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"Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue"

Dear Bofosoco readers, i'm not sure if this is the correct target audience to discuss a country music song, but please, bear with me. This article is not about country music. It's about the freedom to express your emotions and about my feelings concerning the wrongfulness of the censorship of art. And it talks a little bit about terrorism too. Have any of you heard Toby Keith's new song, "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue"? You should decide for yourself how you feel about it, but the basic message of the song is that terrorists are really cowards and that if you mess with the USA, we're going to kick your ass. This song has sparked a big controversy in the media. Before discussing further, i'd like you to listen to the song or at least read the lyrics...

"Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue" (The Angry American) -written and performed by Toby Keith

American Girls
And American Guys
We'll always stand up and salute
We'll always recognize
When we see Old Glory flyin'
There's a lot of men dead
So we can sleep in peace at night
When we lay down our head

My daddy served in the army
Where he lost his right eye
But he flew a flag out in our yard
'Til the day that he died
He wanted my mother
My brother
My sister and me
To grow up and live happy
In the land of the free

Now this nation that I love
Has fallen under attack
A mighty sucker punch came flyin' in
From somewhere in the back
As soon as we could see clearly
Through our big black eye
Man, we lit up your world
Like the Fourth of July

Hey, Uncle Sam put your name
At the top of his list
And the Statue of Liberty
Started shakin' her fist
And the eagle will fly
And there's gonna be hell
When you hear Mother Freedom
Start ringin' her bell
And you'll feel like the whole wide world
Is rainin' down on you
Brought to you courtesy
Of the Red, White and Blue

Oh justice will be served
And the battle will rage
This big dog will fight
When you rattle his cage
You'll be sorry that you messed with The U.S. of A.
'Cause we'll put a boot in your ass
It's the American way

Hey, Uncle Sam put your name
At the top of his list
And the Statue of Liberty
Started shakin' her fist
And the eagle will fly
And there's gonna be hell
When you hear Mother Freedom
Start ringin' her bell
And you'll feel like the whole wide world
Is rainin' down on you
Oh, brought to you courtesy
Of the Red, White and Blue
Oh, oh, of the Red, White and Blue
Oh, oh, of my Red, White and Blue

So what do you think? If there are any more errors with the lyrics, i apologize. i got them from Newsday.com and i only made eight corrections. But anyway, i spoke of a controversy.... Toby Keith was asked by ABC to perform this song on live tv for a big Fourth of July network special celebration. He gladly accepted. However, the whole thing was shot down by Peter Jennings. Mr. Jennings (a.k.a. whiny little Canadian bitch) declared that this song would not be allowed on his television program because the lyrics are not suitable for television and because he felt that the song sounded "too angry". i mean no disrespect towards Canadians, but i fail to understand why we wouldn't put an American in charge of an American national holiday celebration. PBS was also supposed to play this song. Here's a quote from Newsday...

"This week marks the first Independence Day celebration since Sept. 11. Songs about the terrorist attacks that were supposed to be performed on two holiday specials -- PBS' "A Capitol Fourth and ABC's "In Search of America: A July 4th Musical Celebration -- have been dropped because the networks say they set the wrong tone." My question is "the wrong tone"? "too angry"? Music is a form of art. To me, art is an expression or a portrayal of emotion. This is why i have so much more respect for artists who perfrom their own work. They are exposing their emotions and feelings to the world. A coverband is basically acting out someone else's feelings. Doesn't take nearly as much effort or courage.

OK, let's go back to Peter Jennings' problems with this song. i'd like to personally ask him what he thinks is "too angry". How many people were murdered on September 11th? 5,000 plus? Do you know how big the number 5,000 is? Try counting to five thousand some day and if you make it that far, tell me how long it took you. It was the biggest loss of life on American soil since the God damn Civil War.

i grew up on Long Island, and the kid i sat next to in homeroom in high school, his name was Kevin Williams. We weren't exactly the best of friends, but i was pretty damn angry when i found out that he was in the World Trade Center on September 11th. He didn't make it out. And there's a lot of people out there who have every right to be a lot angrier than i was. i didn't lose a son, or a wife, or a father, or a sister, like so many other people did. And i wonder what it would take to make people like Peter Jennings angry. Do the terrorists have to nuke Montreal or something? Sorry, i mean no disrespect towards Canadians once again. But how can you be an American, or live in America, or for that matter, who cares where you're from? How can you even call yourself a decent human being and NOT be angry about what happened on September 11th?

In conclusion, i would simply like to say that in my opinion, "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue" is a great, patriotic song. And even if you think Toby Keith might just be a redneck country singer, he's one damn fine American in my book.

-quinn

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